How to Stop Your Mercruiser from Stalling when Shifted
Does your MerCruiser stall when you shift? This will tell you why.
Steps
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1Read your engine owners manual and all safety precautions.Ad
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2Turn off your boats battery switch or disconnect the battery.
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3Remove your prop.
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4Turn on your battery switch or reconnect your battery.
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5Hook up a hose with a flushette if you are going to start the motor out of the water.
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6Make sure the drive and engine have a good water supply.
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7Start your engine. Make sure you have a water supply to the drive and/or motor.
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8Let the engine warm up at idle.
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9Keep an eye on your gauges.
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10Make sure your water is flowing through the engine and coming out the exhaust.
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11Make sure that all people are clear of the drive and propeller shaft.
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12Shift into forward gear.
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13Shift back into neutral.
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14Shift into reverse.
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15Shift back into neutral.
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16Did the engine stall?
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17If the engine stalled chances are very good that you have a sticking shift cable to the drive.
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18Replace the shift cable to the drive unit and retest.
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19Cable replacement instructions can be found at stern-drive-information.comAd
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Tips
- You can not lube or free-up the cable.
- A faulty shift interruptor switch will cause difficult shifting, not stalling.
- Once a drive shift cable causes stalling, it must be replaced.
- Damage injury or death can occur should your boat stall while maneuvering near a dock or other boats.
- If the engine stalls when pulling into neutral it does NOT mean your shift interruptor switch is bad.
- Damage to your drives clutch and shifting components can occur if the cable is bad and you keep using the boat.
- A bad shift cable to the drive can cause the engine to stall.
Warnings
- Read your owners manual and all safety precautions.
- Remove your prop if running the engine out of the water.
- Keep clear of all moving parts.
Sources and Citations
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